flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

New digital platform to foster construction supply chains free of forced labor

New digital platform to foster construction supply chains free of forced labor

Will provide transparency on where building materials come from and how they are made.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor  | September 28, 2022
Construction Supply Chain
Courtesy Pexels.

Design for Freedom by Grace Farms and the U.S. Coalition on Sustainability formed a partnership to advance shared goals regarding sustainable and ethical building material supply chains that are free of forced labor.

SustainChain, the coalition’s technology platform, uses advanced digital technology and machine learning to bring together innovators, impact investors, businesses, NGOs, and public-private sector alliances to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That program is a comprehensive plan consisting of 17 interrelated goals that address and resolve global humanitarian challenges.

“The next step in architectural justice is to include social equity and ethical material transparency in the evaluation of our supply chains so we can understand where our building materials come from and how they are made,” said Grace Farms Foundation CEO and founder Sharon Prince. “Design for Freedom is doing just that—raising awareness of forced labor embedded in our building materials and initializing responses to disrupt forced labor in the building materials supply chain and to come together to create more transparency.”

“As a first of its kind accelerator for achieving a more just and sustainable world, SustainChain is providing a free public utility designed to unify and rapidly scale sustainability efforts,” said Jacqueline Corbelli, founder of the US Coalition on Sustainability and creator of SustainChain.

Related Stories

Laboratories | Oct 2, 2024

Trends in scientific research environments: Q&A with Flad's Matt McCord

As part of an ongoing series, Matt McCord, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, Associate Principal with Flad Architects, discusses the future of the scientific workplace.

Contractors | Oct 1, 2024

Conflict resolution is a critical skill for contractors

Contractors interact with other companies seventeen times a day on average, and nearly half of those interactions (eight) involve conflicts, according to a report by Dodge Construction Network and Dusty Robotics. The study suggests that specialty trade contractors, in particular, rarely experience good resolution from conflicts. 

Museums | Oct 1, 2024

UT Dallas opens Morphosis-designed Crow Museum of Asian Art

In Richardson, Tex., the University of Texas at Dallas has opened a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Art—the first of multiple buildings that will be part of a 12-acre cultural district. When completed, the arts and performance complex, called the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, a grand plaza, and a dedicated parking structure on the Richardson campus.

Data Centers | Oct 1, 2024

10 biggest impacts to the data center market in 2024–2025

While AI sends the data center market into the stratosphere, the sector’s accelerated growth remains impacted by speed-to-market demands, supply chain issues, and design innovation necessities.

Contractors | Oct 1, 2024

Demographic, societal trends bode poorly for future construction workforce

U.S. employers will soon face “the largest labor shortage the country has ever seen,” according to a report from Lightcast, a labor market data and analysis firm. The problem will be especially acute in fields like plumbing, HVAC, and auto maintenance. 

Contractors | Oct 1, 2024

Nonresidential construction spending rises slightly in August 2024

National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.1% in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.22 trillion.

Higher Education | Sep 30, 2024

Studio Gang turns tobacco warehouse into the new home of the University of Kentucky’s College of Design

Studio Gang has completed the Gray Design Building, the new home of the University of Kentucky’s College of Design. In partnership with K. Norman Berry Associates Architects, Studio Gang has turned a former tobacco warehouse into a contemporary facility for interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.

Mass Timber | Sep 26, 2024

5 lessons in water mitigation for mass timber projects

Sustainability leaders from Skanska, RDH, and Polygon share five tips for successful water mitigation in mass timber construction.

Laboratories | Sep 26, 2024

BSL conversions: A cost-efficient method to support high-containment research

Some institutions are creating flexible lab spaces that can operate at a BSL-2 and modulate up to a BSL-3 when the need arises. Here are key aspects to consider when accommodating a rapid modulation between BSL-2 and BSL-3 space.

AEC Tech | Sep 25, 2024

Construction industry report shows increased use of robotics on jobsites

Nearly two-thirds of contractors surveyed, who cited use of robotics on jobsites, are either using monitoring and/or service/labor robotics.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021